Jordan's UN ambassador Mahmoud Hmoud was elected a judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Tuesday to replace Nawaf Salam, who resigned in January following his appointment as Lebanese prime minister, reported Xinhua.
Hmoud will serve the remainder of Salam's term at the ICJ, which lasts until Feb. 5, 2027.
Hmoud has been Jordan's UN ambassador since September 2021. He was Jordanian ambassador to Singapore between 2018 and 2021.
He was a member of the International Law Commission between 2007 and 2022, being chair of the commission during its 72nd session in 2021 and chair of the Drafting Committee in 2012.
Hmoud held several terms as legal advisor and director of the Legal Department of Jordan's Foreign Ministry between 1999 and 2018.
Under the Statute of the International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, the election of ICJ judges is through secret balloting at the Security Council and the General Assembly. A candidate has to obtain absolute majority in both chambers to get elected. Voting in the two chambers must be held concurrently but separately.
Hmoud, who was the sole candidate, won 15 out of 15 votes in the Security Council and 178 votes out of 178 member states present and voting at the General Assembly.
The Hague-based ICJ has 15 judges elected to nine-year terms of office. Judges are eligible for re-election. Should a judge die or resign during his or her term of office, a special election is held to choose a judge to fill the unexpired part of the term.
The 15 judges must come from 15 different countries. The court as a whole must represent the main forms of civilization and the principal legal systems of the world.
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Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
